apofurlough,
You ask a great question. No easy answers, that's for sure. By and large, your most bitter and militant employees tend to be the most senior, because they've been around long enough to have gone through the wars of years past. So, in terms of getting rid of those that are union, you're up against a difficult task. But it's not impossible. Here's my view.
Leadership starts at the very top and trickles down to the most junior employee. Or, at least it should. The CEO must consistently emphasize and demonstrate a change in culture and attitude. A winning, positive attitude must be implemented with the CEO and reinforced constantly. He must hold his senior management team accountable for advocating it and enforcing it. And he must make sure they do the same with the mid-level and junior management folks, who in turn must do the same for their employees. Everybody must be operating on the same sheet of music. The word must be put out to ALL employees that lousy attitudes and malcontents no longer will be tolerated. They will be identified and counseled to change. If they don't, they will be terminated. In terms of union employees, a policy must be put in place to allow termination to take place, provided a paper trail is present. That takes help from your union leadership. If, as CEO, you get them to buy into your new philosophy, and you show them that it works and that it can turn the airline around, they will then support the process, so long as it's justly followed. It may seem impossible, but it isn't. Gordon Bethune and his team did this very thing when they took over control of CO in the mid-90's. It's a long, tough road, but it can be done. One important thing that is overlooked though is the fact that as employees, we're also responsible for not tolerating that type of behavior from our co-workers. Bad employees must be called on the carpet, even by their co-workers, and told that the old attitude is no longer acceptable. Once enough pressure is put on, behavior changes. But the pressure must be there and it must be constant. It may seem an impossible task, but it can happen. But everybody has to be willing to help out.
At UA, we're finally seeing proof that there is a new sheriff in town and that the old style of leadership (or lack thereof) and the old way of doing things are history and that BIG changes are coming. The more I hear Glenn Tilton speak, the more I want to stand up and applaud his approach. It's what we desperately need. The Goodwin/Dutta style of running UA (not running is probably more accurate) is largely the reason we're in the situation we're in.
But to answer your question, it can be done, provided there is consistent emphasis and enforcement from the top down that things must change, along with a healthy level of pressure from co-workers when they see things that are hampering success.
You ask a great question. No easy answers, that's for sure. By and large, your most bitter and militant employees tend to be the most senior, because they've been around long enough to have gone through the wars of years past. So, in terms of getting rid of those that are union, you're up against a difficult task. But it's not impossible. Here's my view.
Leadership starts at the very top and trickles down to the most junior employee. Or, at least it should. The CEO must consistently emphasize and demonstrate a change in culture and attitude. A winning, positive attitude must be implemented with the CEO and reinforced constantly. He must hold his senior management team accountable for advocating it and enforcing it. And he must make sure they do the same with the mid-level and junior management folks, who in turn must do the same for their employees. Everybody must be operating on the same sheet of music. The word must be put out to ALL employees that lousy attitudes and malcontents no longer will be tolerated. They will be identified and counseled to change. If they don't, they will be terminated. In terms of union employees, a policy must be put in place to allow termination to take place, provided a paper trail is present. That takes help from your union leadership. If, as CEO, you get them to buy into your new philosophy, and you show them that it works and that it can turn the airline around, they will then support the process, so long as it's justly followed. It may seem impossible, but it isn't. Gordon Bethune and his team did this very thing when they took over control of CO in the mid-90's. It's a long, tough road, but it can be done. One important thing that is overlooked though is the fact that as employees, we're also responsible for not tolerating that type of behavior from our co-workers. Bad employees must be called on the carpet, even by their co-workers, and told that the old attitude is no longer acceptable. Once enough pressure is put on, behavior changes. But the pressure must be there and it must be constant. It may seem an impossible task, but it can happen. But everybody has to be willing to help out.
At UA, we're finally seeing proof that there is a new sheriff in town and that the old style of leadership (or lack thereof) and the old way of doing things are history and that BIG changes are coming. The more I hear Glenn Tilton speak, the more I want to stand up and applaud his approach. It's what we desperately need. The Goodwin/Dutta style of running UA (not running is probably more accurate) is largely the reason we're in the situation we're in.
But to answer your question, it can be done, provided there is consistent emphasis and enforcement from the top down that things must change, along with a healthy level of pressure from co-workers when they see things that are hampering success.
